At the end of the day, I’m really proud of Taylor Swift. Y’all know she is not my favorite person, but I appreciated the fact that she went for it during this election cycle. After staying quiet and refusing to discuss her politics or endorse candidates for years, 2018 was the year Taylor decided to use her voice and use her power. In October, she made a comprehensive political statement on Instagram, encouraging the Snake Fam to register to vote, and making specific endorsements of Tennessee candidates. She detailed why she would not support Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, and why she was supporting Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate and Democrat Jim Cooper for her House representative.
While Cooper won, Phil Bresden got his ass handed to him. Marsha Blackburn won the Senate seat by a double-digit margin. Blackburn’s victory is yet another win for homophobia and white women voting against their own interests, and white folks voting for the white male supremacy to “protect” them. The coverage around Blackburn’s victory was particularly rough, because too many media outlets made it sound like Blackburn was running against Taylor Swift.
TAYLOR SWIFT FAILS TO ELECT DEMOCRAT… https://t.co/jldY5vXIIN
— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) November 7, 2018
So, Republicans and Deplorables were dunking on Taylor all night. Is this what it feels like to be a member of the Snake Fam? Because I feel all touchy and defensive of Taylor right now. She did great work, and she did it in a way that was authentic to her. There are probably thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of young women who registered to vote because of Taylor, and they actually went out and voted. Yes, this is a loss and it hurts. That happens. But Taylor did what she could do and I’m proud of her. And just FYI, if a Nazi a–hole like Laura Ingraham is trying to dunk on you, you’re doing something right.
Hey @taylorswift13, haters gonna hate. #shakeitoff
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 7, 2018
Taylor Swift's streak of terrible choices in men continues. https://t.co/CjHCIC26qL
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 7, 2018
Bye Tennessee, you should have listened.
See you on Taylor Swift’s next album. 👋
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) November 7, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.
I was telling my hubby last night that I need to walk back some of my previous Swift critiques, I am happy that she has been so open about her politics this election – she was posting so many young women who had voted on IG, it was really nice to see!
as for the Tennessee senate race – ugh. That woman is vile…just vile. I’m so upset she won.
I live in Tennessee, and I agree: Marsha Blackburn is vile. Her ads became nastier, more racist and scarier as the election grew nearer. She is an unapologistic Trump bootlicker and I’m so disapointed she won.
Agreed. I’m in TN too and voted for Bredesen. Let the investigations into Blackburn begin because there’s plenty there to keep press and government investigators busy.
I had.a feeling Bredesen would loose, so I just focused on the overall goal, which was the blue wave (oh, I was a Rep. until my party became one of extremism and elected Dump). The House will now stick it to Dump, and Meuller is rumored to announce his findings soon.
I didn’t follow the race but was Blackburn in danger of losing? I don’t understand the logic of blaming Taylor and celebrities for losses. Maybe endorsements made it a lot closer.
Not really. I think she was up by at least 10% in every poll. That doesn’t change that she’s a horrible person who shamelessly profits off her position and is engaged in nepotism. No wonder she and trump get along. It broke my heart that she won last night, but I don’t think Bredesen energized Democrats enough. I wish James Mackler hadn’t backed out when Phil entered the picture, but I think the result would have been the same. Tennessee overall votes against its own interests.
But at least my rep, Jim Cooper got re-elected. And Nashville votes for a community oversight board of the police.
He had a slight lead in polling in late Sept/early Oct, which disappeared once Zero flew into a small city in the northeast part of the state, which had not had a sitting president visit in decades. That one visit led to her regaining momentum, but polls still showed it as a close race (3 to 4 points or less).
I posted this in another thread, but Blackburn visited places that don’t often get handshaking, one-on-one opportunities to meet candidates. She showed up at a regional food chain a few mornings ago, unannounced, and her campaign bought meals for anyone who said they would vote for her. Sounds trivial, but things like this do get people’s attention. The rural/less populated areas seem to have bigger turnouts, and that’s what gets candidates over the line.
Taylor tried, but it takes that one-on-one attention to sway people. Not everyone was at the fast food place that day, but it got news coverage that reached probably 300,000 readers and viewers in several counties.
In this case there weren’t enough people in Memphis and Nashville to counter the rest of the state.
You know, I think celebrity endorsements are great for rallying up new voters (as Swift proved) but I don’t know if their endorsements really contribute much to encourage those who are leaning towards the right to make the switch. Somehow, and I don’t know how, Trump managed to convince working class white folk who felt disenfranchised that he was just like them to get their votes. Hollywood is painted as this democrat enclave anyway, and I don’t think the “normal” people who fell for Trumps “self made with a small personal loan of 1 million dollars” spiel can identify with those who are privileged like that. That said, speaking out is always important, so no shade to TSwizz.
I think in this case celebrity endorsements may have caused some damage, Trump has successfully created an image of celebrities as liberals who want to raise your taxes plus its a sore point for him as he really really struggled to get any decent celebrity to support him or come to his inauguration. He’s complained about it enough times that his base picked up on it.
Oh please, Drumpf was a D-List celebrity. That is how the whole country got to know him over seasons of his busted show! Many celebrities have left Hollywood and run for office. Celebrities getting out the vote can work in some demographics, but at very calculated times.
She definitely got a chin implant.
Not directed at you but it’s hypocritical when people say celebrities who endorse democrats are doing damage when the only party that’s elected celebrities to higher office are republicans ( trump. Regan and Schwartzenegger…) .
The reason people vote for people like Blackburn and trump has very little to do with celebrities and more to do with them being racist or at least untroubled by racism.
“Hollywood is painted as this democrat enclave anyway, and I don’t think the “normal” people who fell for Trumps “self made with a small personal loan of 1 million dollars” spiel can identify with those who are privileged like that.”
Trumpists are simply not very intelligent and have no reasoning power. Exactly how many of these “privileged Hollywood people” started out that way? Most of them are from middle class backgrounds and they struggled and are self made, unlike the Orange A$$hole.
Here’s the skinny on celebrity endorsements and celebrities getting involved in politics. It only works for the Republican. For all the Republican bravado about celebrity and how bad it is. They are the ones listening and hiring them. Trump, Reagan, Schwarzeneger, Eastwood, Sonny Bono, and even Gopher from the Love Boat all Republicans.
I always get excited thinking maybe now our nation has moved on from it’s slave owning racist past and then a part of the country just lets me down. Blacks, Women, non-sniveling (i.e. not Ted Cruz) progressive white men will always have a problem winning in the deep south and rural parts of the US. I realize Virginia was the capital of the confederacy, but Virginia is pretty blue right now. Sure you will get the anomaly some times on the Democratic side Heidi Heidkamp, Harold Ford, Jr., Claire McCaskell won a few times, but they were eventually kicked out. Nikki Haley and Marcia Blackburn are on the Republican side. Nikki gave up on Trump’s crap, and Marcia wallowed in it to get elected so she kind of gave up her woman card for the position. Hope it was worth it when she harms her own gender.
If Taylor got some of her fans to register and vote, good for her!
At least she didn’t wait to instagram about it until Election Day half way through the day. Looking at you, Beyonce.
Beto got like 95% of the black female vote in Texas. Beyoncé was preaching to the converted. Racist white women who were going to vote for a piece of crap like Cruz weren’t about to listen to Beyoncé, anyway 🙁
Yep, nothing says ‘racist’ like voting for a Hispanic instead of a basic white guy. SMH.
@Sarah I would say the Zodiac Killer is white. White mother, father Cuban but obviously a white Cuban. So yeah, he’s a basic white guy as well.
@Sarah,
Cruz is White. He might technically be able to declare Hispanic (Spanish) heritage through his last name and because his grandfather came from Cuba, but for all practical purposes he’s culturally white. Cruz does not appeal to or identify with Latino communities. He paints himself more as “christian-white” of nondescript origin. Unless he’s campaigning of course. Then all of sudden he’s “Hispanic” for a few hours. Just having a Latin name doesn’t mean someone isn’t a racist or white supremacist or just a weber bread, bible thumping moron like Cruz.
You do realize Hispanic refers to an ethnicity and not a race, right? There are plenty of white Latinos in South America and the surrounding islands for the same reason North America has them: European colonialism. Just by Spain and Portugal instead of Britain and France.
Of course, let’s blame a black woman for that lol
How about all the white women (more than 50%) that voted for the zodiac killer?
Literally black twitter was making fun of her too. I’m not putting the lost on Beyonce. It was just humorous that she instagrammed it when Election Day was almost over.
Out of curiosity, how did Cruz get that nickname?
What black Twitter was making fun of her? Not on my timeline. Y’all need to let Beyonce live goddamn.
Beyonce: *has registration booths at her tours to encourage voting, sends out emails to remind people, actually campaigned for Hillary*
Y’all: she should have endorsed him sooner.
Y’all swear she’s overrated and she’s not God but have no problems wanting her to do everything. And also putting the white woman on a pedestal for doing the barest minimum.
Black women are tired of cleaning up your shit and taking the blame for everything please leave us alone
Stop blaming
The Zodiac killer is a famously unsolved murder case who sent cryptic letters to police in coded dialogue that has yet to be solved. Ted Cruz has the charisma of a dead snail and the look of somebody who probably has a few literal skeletons in his backwoods shed somewhere, so the Internet joke started that he was the true Zodiac killer. It stuck around because the meme went viral enough that the campaign actually had to vaguely address it, lol.
Was it really over 50% of white women in Texas voted for Cruz? Maybe the sun in TX is so strong it’s burned the lily white eyeballs of these women. Cause they must be blind. Honestly, Ted Cruz is one of the most unappealing men and candidates I’ve ever seen, even Republicans don’t like him. Yet they vote for him. I’m so embarrassed to be part of this white woman group. Girls get it together. This just stinks. I want to say thank you to black women for pulling us out of the dark ages and voting for our overall self interest. Just know even in Texas at least 40+% of white women stand with you.
Now I don’t think the poster above meant the Beyonce comment as a slap against black women, at least I hope not, more on the cult of celebrity. I feel the Republican voters are more into celebrities than democrats. If they are against the candidate the endorsement motivates republicans to vote and mobilize for their republican and if it is a republican celebrity they usually end up voting for him.
@Franny don’t you dare go there, black women have done our part time and time again in these elections. Stop looking to us to save everyone from white supremacy and hate and collect your white sisters. I’d also like to point out that Beyonce was actually getting folks registered to vote throughout the entire OTR 2 tour so come off it.
I am well aware that WHITE WOMEN are to blame. And yes women because we are faced with discrimination and should emphasize with minorities in a way white men cannot. I did not know that she had registration booths at her concerts, that is awesome. I wish that were posted on here instead of solely focusing on Taylor Swift’s efforts. I hate that a joke about Beyonce caused these reactions. But I guess these are not joking times. I don’t know how to link tweets on here but it was all over my timeline and in the mentions. It was humorous but I get coming from me it’s a different story.
Wanted to add that Oprah’s contributions were posted on here as well so not trying to blame celebitchy at all. I had no idea Beyonce was contributing that much to the Beto campaign. I honestly get emails from the Democratic Party and from a lot of celebs and never once got one from Beyonce. So I’m sorry I have been ignorant of her contributions to Beto and I probably would not have been so quick to joke if I had known them so I apologize for joking and in no way meant to imply that black women are to blame for slimy Ted winning.
In fairness, Beyonce and Jay-Z have never been coy about their political stance. They’ve openly supported BLM and other progressive movements, not to mention donated to several Democratic campaigns over the years. Taylor has never directly addressed it, THAT’s why her statement was viewed as significant.
Veronica, that makes sense! Really celebitchy is the only place I get my gossip from and I know T Swift is usually a hot topic on here. I really like Beyoncé as an artist and literally listened to her latest album all the way through several times while on the treadmill. I mean artistically she doesn’t even compare to T. Swift. I just did not see a lot about Beyonce supporting the Beto campaign but am not trying to shame or blame her for that. It seems like I was just simply ignorant of her contributions and for that I apologize. But either way it is not “on” Beyonce to do anything. I shouldn’t have brought up her name in the first place. It doesn’t matter my intent because posters on here were upset by my comment and that is on me, not them. I shamed Rebel Wilson for not taking criticism and apologizing and I will not be a hyprocrite and double down on my Beyoncé joke.
You’ve handled this really well, Franny Days. You should def see if Rebel will pay you for consulting lol.
Nah, I get it. Beyonce and Jay-Z aren’t quiet about their contributions, but they don’t paint the town red with their support, either. They make no secret of where they stand politically, but unless you follow them beyond a casual interest, you may not know about a lot of their fundraising activity. Those two aren’t perfect, but I can’t criticize their political activity. They’ve done a fair bit.
Yes, it’s a victory for racist, ignorant people because Phil Bredesen is a far superior public servant with years of political service. I’m so disgusted right now. Indiana was especially repulsive with its victory for hayseed Braun who had no ground game but clung to drump and and had dark money in the millions fuel a constant running of trumpian lying ads. He’ll rubber stamp anything GOP. And maybe even worse, another Pence was elected who’s to Congress. This bigoted family has stolen $20 million for clean up from Indiana when it abandoned and went bankrupt on it’s gas station businesses.
I canvassed for Donnelly but don’t feel I wasted my time. Fighting in any way possible is better than doing nothing. At least we have the House.
Yep, last night was absolutely a punch in the gut in our house. I can’t believe the landslide win by Braun. I mean I look around me and I can but I still can’t. Also, I live in Porter county so guess how I’m feeling about my straight Democrat vote right now? Thank you for your work on behalf of Donnelly though. All of my girlfriends here voted for him, although our votes still haven’t been counted so…
And it keeps getting worse over here. The counties on either side of us are both blue in the sea of red In this state so I have no doubt what’s going on here.
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/update-porter-county-election-results-remain-a-mystery-hours-after/article_a09fb0d9-bf03-55fb-a86d-4816efdfd562.html
I’m originally from Indiana and now I live in Missouri. Not going to lie, last night hurt.
she also posted daily on her story numerous photos of people with the I voted stickers many of whom said that she encouraged them to go vote or to register to vote for the first time. she also asks a lot of dancers and band members on her tour to do a short video explaining why they’re voting, and post those to her story too.So even though her guy didn’t win, I feel like she was successful and encouraging a lot of her fanbase to be more active. Well I certainly have my issues with her, I felt that she handled this really well.
+1
Phil Bredesen killed his campaign the exact second he endorsed the Kavanaugh nomination (without anyone even asking!) and all of his progressive, mostly female campaigners abandoned him. That said, it’s Tennessee – the state where marital rape was efeectively legal until 2005 (unless the rapist was armed with a deadly weapon!) and child marriage was legal until May this year. Of course one of the most anti-women women in politics was going to win. Sigh.
He didn’t kill his campaign with that and don’t speak for Tennessee. He couldn’t win because there are 3 democratic cities in this state, Memphis (where I live), Nashville, and Knoxville. We have a hell of a lot of progressive candidates who came so close to getting elected here and we’re working to flip this state. It doesn’t help to take on a dismissive tone with Southern states. We’re TRYING to change things here and are up against a hell of a lot of voter suppression and other issues.
I live in Nashville, and I totally agree with you, @NicNic. Bredesen was a great candidate, and he gave voters a real chance to win. As for Taylor, she stood up against the country music establishment here–everyone knows that many country music industry stars and producers (some my neighbors) voted for Dems but can’t say so due to contract clauses. That’s hypocritical, sure, but it’s the biz. Dems in Tennessee are on fire more than I have ever seen. Things are changing. This midterm battle is just the beginning!
Yep, I’m in TN too, and Blackburn shouldn’t count on an easy ride. The woman’s as corrupt as they come, so I know some people in the press can’t wait to get their hands on her. As for Bredesen, he had to do a delicate balancing act of appealing to both the anti-Trump crowd and the Deplorables – and it didn’t work. At least the Reps know that there are many of us out here who will work against Blackburn and Dump (and I say this as a former Rep).
I’m sure she helped get some new young voters to the polls but TN is a hard Red state. Those people proudly fly Confederate flags in their yards. A Taylor Swift endorsement was never going to be enough to flip that Senate seat to blue.
Those people? There are a large, large number of us native Tennesseans who don’t fly the Confederate flag and don’t support Dump. I guess you don’t know that TN was the last state to secede in the Civil War, was the first state to re-join the Union, and has never flown the Confederate flag from a government building since then.
As a person born and raised in Richmond, VA, you are right most people in southern states don’t fly the confederate flag and pretty much like everyone you meet. However, the reality of a lot of the southern states is there is still a large rural white undereducated portion which doesn’t want to change and is pretty racist. Obviously, not everyone in rural areas but a pretty strong majority. This election really was city versus rural more than anything.
Now good news for all these people knocking on doors and working for change. It will have results. Many moons ago when I was not quite able to vote, I walked around District 7 of Va. to help my friends father get elected. He was a Democrat, but he didn’t win. Yesterday Abigail Spanberger a woman who went to my old high school won District 7. She knocked off crazy Freedom Caucus darling Dave Brat. (yeah we don’t have to hear from him again.) Eventhough I don’t live there anymore, I feel my time years ago wasn’t in vain, and now it’s changed. Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia made big strides in change with this election. You may have come up short, but I think it will yield results soon.
In NY it’s not unheard of to see a confederate flag flying in rural areas. I usually refer to anyone that lives anywhere but the City, Buffalo, a couple college towns, and very select urban adjacent suburbs as “those people”. NY is the City and Buffalo with Alabama in between. So don’t be offended.
Lainey has some numbers that could support the idea that she did push some people to the polls. Voter turnout in TN is usually amongst the lowest in the country, but registration rose around 700% in the 18-24 yr old demographic and is only 7% of the voters, so an increase in that age group will facilitate change going forward. Perhaps the impact was in getting first time voters out?
As a liberal north-easterner (yup it’s me, the coastal elite and I don’t even care) I am so sick of having my fate decided by backwater, racist, hick areas like this. The middle of the country is ruining life for all of us.
+100000 And the worst part is they are completely voting against their interest and class. It would one vile thing if they actually got anything out of it, but they are voting for people who make their own lives more difficult and they are too ignorant to realize.
I dislike Taylor immensely but she is not in anyway shape or form to blame for the way her state voted. Just a couple months ago those people who tweeted mocking her were up her ass thinking she was one of them.
Preach! Same.
But our system is loaded for them and against us. We’re set up for minority rule. States with 700 thousand citizens get the same 2 Senators states with MILLIONS of citizens get. I’m tired of living under their thumbs too.
In British Columbia we’re about to vote on Proportional Representation…meaning if you get 40% of the votes, you get 40% of the seats. Tho against the change from first past the post this time only because NDP changed the rules for success, which initially seemed unfair, I have come to understand it’s actually evening the playing field a bit. Also, we would have the chance to retract the vote after two election cycles (8 years) if it doesn’t work, so I’m going for it. That way our districts with (taking @Darla’s example) a district with 700 thousand citizens won’t be able to throw off the choice of the millions. Hopefully it will mean better balance in representation within provincial government.
+1000
CharliePenn if you live in or near a big city, check out the voting patterns in your state’s rural areas. Is there a difference? That’s the real divide in America. Look at California.
WhoAreThesePeople, point taken. I live near Philly and the outlands of PA (which we call Pennsyltucky because it’s a bunch of backwater racists towns) vote red. The 2016 election was a horror, watching all those districts go for trump.
They redeemed themselves a little last night
Or NY… I live in a very red county and my idiot representative just got re-elected.
I hate saying this, but same. The lack of education, anger, racism, and hatred in this country is going to tear it apart. I’m so tired of people with such a hateful and non-progressive way of thinking altering how I am represented in the country and in the world.
Amen!!!
+100000000
I’m tired of being labeled a far left nut job. Yes I live in NY, have a graduate education and a good income, and am biracial. However I have also been married for 24 years to my first boyfriend, I was a stay at home mom for a long time, go to mass fairly regularly, and live a generally conservative life. The idea that my values of economic and social progressivism somehow make me “elite” or out of touch with “real america” is maddening. I am real america as much as any farmer or factory worker, and so is every other “east coast elite”.
Wish it was just backwater hicks, honestly. Plenty of rich, well-educated white people out there willing to embrace Trump for what they get out of it because they don’t have to care about anyone else.
You are so right. People are naturally selfish. It is a biological urge that is ingrained for survival. I can watch the birds at my feeder to see how true this is: one bird will almost starve to death in its plight to keep other birds from getting at the food. It’s so busy protecting “mine” that it barely takes a break to eat. This is true of people too. The uneducated will cut off their nose to spite their face in order to keep the “other” from getting a piece of the pie. But the wealthy whites have a similar mentality: I don’t care who suffers as long as I get my tax breaks. Take trickle-down economics, for example: in theory, it could work. Most economic plans could work, in theory. But there is no way to quantify “greed” in any mathematical equation. It cannot be done, and greed is the primary reason that all economic systems eventually fail. Many of us have overcome this urge and have evolved to understand that we all have a duty to come together for the greater good and if everybody puts in a little, everybody wins and we have something greater than ourselves. But many have not evolved to this point and never will. Me, me,me……mine, mine, mine, is all they will ever understand, regardless of education level or socioeconomic status.
Maybe it’s different in my country but celebrity endorsements rarely happen or if it happens i don’t think it makes a difference. It’s like when I see rallies and celebs have their own space and everything i haven’t seen that in other places but the US. Perhaps having famous people endorse you is not that helpful anymore.
Tennessee is deeply conservative. She did what she could. It’s going to take a lot more in-migration by Democratic voters and a lot less voter suppression to change things there. Home of the Scopes trial.
Agree. And Taylor got a lot of young people to register and in the habit of voting, which in some will last a lifetime. She did good.
It was a long shot but I’m proud of her efforts. And Laura Ingraham just wishes Taylor would get in a Twitter beef with her 🙄
History has proven, Miss Taylor does not take criticism well….or being the butt of a joke. She will go into hiding and write some angry songs for Laura!! Good for her if she helped get people to vote, but sad they needed encouragement from a recording artist. She’s just a wee bit too full of herself. Oh the days when you were a princess who could no wrong Taylor. But alas, we all have to grow up.
Honestly, I think it’s funnier because they’re behaving exactly like the jilted ex-boyfriends she sings about. Like, sorry to break your hearts conservatives that the pretty, blonde woman singing country has OPINIONS, but you just look pathetic boasting about it when you still lost the House.
Can we discuss Mississippi? (Even though I am a Memphian now)
There is going to be a run-off between a black man, Mike Espy and a white-Trumpie-woman, Cindy Hyde-Smith.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry that MS is so racist and misogynistic that neither could get 50%. But I’m really hoping for Mike to win the run-off.
You have made an interesting point about racism vs. misogyny, and it bears repeating and further analysis. Black women are at the apex of this vortex, which makes Abrams’ run, in GEORGIA of all places, even more astounding.
In Tennessee, racism and misogyny are both very strong. How many voters held their noses and voted for Blackburn, even though they hate women and she will be the first ever female Senator from TN (in 2018! Really?! It took this long?!) because they hate POC even more than they hate women? The horrible people in this state, that just LOVE trump, decided a racist woman was better than a white man that is, frankly, willing to bend over backwards to please white conservative fragility. It boggles the mind. But the verdict is in, in TN at least, if not Mississippi, that racism is stronger than sexism.
Hopefully, TS will remain engaged and it will pay off in the future(near future, please).
I feel like celebrity endorsements mean a heck of a lot more to the politicians themselves than to the average voter. I don’t know how many people are swayed to vote and vote a certain way because their favorite singer/actor/whatever has influenced them.
At the least, it shows young people that it’s okay to be politically aware and involved. This is especially important for young women. I think the old haw about politics being too dirty for women is still in play, just not as much as it used to be.
I don’t think it’s about swaying the vote so much as either drawing attention to a candidate and then maybe some people will donate a few dollars, or, as many have pointed out, inspiring young people who might not have voted before to see voting as cool and get out and do it. You could see the impact of celebrity enthusiasm for Beto O’Rourke in his fundraising, and Taylor Swift’s impact in getting young, first-time voters out in Tennessee. I doubt they influenced anyone’s political leanings all that much, but there is more than one purpose to attention.
Regardless, she encouraged a young people to become engaged with politics and register to vote, so good on her!
LOL, imagine being a paid news reporter and waking up thinking that a wise use of your time would be dunking on a pop star on Twitter of all things. Whatever, losers.
Celebrity endorsements have never swayed me either way. People made up their minds regardless of who’s endorsing who. If more people registered to vote because of a celebrity encouraged them ,I’m fine with that.
Agree @BlueSky. For all the people who like the celebrity endorsement, flip the coin to those who don’t. I like it better where there is a myriad of Hollywood simply saying exercise your right to vote. Naming names can actually be a bad thing, especially in the trump era.
Funny that because last time I checked the president is celebrity..
I think they’re more worthwhile as PR advocates, honestly. Celebrities have press reach. They can get a smaller name out there and contribute significant financing if they’re on the wealthier side of the spectrum.
Voters 18-29 in TN had a 667% increase in turnout this year (and that’s just for early voting!), so everyone trolling Taylor Swift can blow it out their ass. They’re missing a bigger picture. She had an effect, unfortunately it didn’t manifest in her perferred candidate winning.
If anything, it’s a lesson abt how you can run a great campaign, do everything right, tick off all the boxes, and still lose. A lot of great candidates did a lot of fantastic outreach, and many of them still fell short of a win. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t changed anything.
Even if you’re going to lose, even if you live in a deep red state, you should still vote. Because in the sea of red, you’re still a person who said otherwise, and making that known and heard to the people in charge is still important and it still has value.
I was shocked by the results. Bredesen was leading in the polls up until a month ago. The negative attack ads from Blackburn were relentlessly played all over every media source. I couldn’t watch TV or listen to the radio or search the internet without seeing the terrible ads. I never heard any ads from bredesen. What does it say about TN if even a moderate centrist can’t win.
Those ads were awful. He vowed to not get ugly, but there was little choice as her ads became worse and more untruthful.
He had a track record as a common sense moderate, yet could not bring the win. I didn’t think it would be a double-digit loss, though. It shows how powerful negative messages and paying attention to less populated areas can do. She and her hero Zero worked places outside of Nashville & Memphis, right until the end, and it paid off.
At the end of the day, all anyone can do is support their candidate and educate people on why. Swifty did her thing, and I’m glad she’s sticking her head above the parapet, but I don’t think she’s out here thinking that her words were going to seal the deal for the Democrat in question or anything.
Hopefully, she starts to feel more encouraged to do other things, like campaigning against voter suppression and more local initiatives within Tennessee, especially those that support the LGBT+ community, which is clearly something that’s close to her heart. She can still do a lot, and hopefully doesn’t sit out of political engagement for the next two years. Or ever, in the future.